


By the Fire

by flitterflutterfly



Series: Tumblr Prompts [1]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-31
Updated: 2014-01-31
Packaged: 2018-01-10 17:47:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1162678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flitterflutterfly/pseuds/flitterflutterfly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin sleepily contemplates what had brought him to being the consort of King Arthur.</p>
            </blockquote>





	By the Fire

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr prompt by alsaurus. (On my old tumblr so I don't remember the exact wording of the prompt.)

Merlin yawned, rubbing at his eyes tiredly. The fire was roaring in front of him and he was curled up in a large quilt. He wanted nothing more than to fall asleep right there, but he felt strange sleeping alone anymore.

Arthur should be back soon.

Merlin frowned, his head on his knees. He hated late night war councils, hated that, ever since he’d officially become Arthur’s consort, he’d been barred from them. He knew he could just whisper a spell to go invisible and sneak into them, but Arthur would be upset if he knew that Merlin had done so and, besides, the king would likely tell him anything important anyway once he returned.

There were times when Merlin wished to go back to the old days, when he was just a manservant secretly saving Arthur the prince from all manner of evil creatures. 

Still, he couldn’t regret the actions that led to the ring which rested on his finger. Arthur was his to have and to hold and to protect and guide. Hell, they even had an heir, birthed for them by the Lady Guinevere—now Duchess and married to Sir Lancelot, Arthur’s most loyal knight.

He wondered how things could have been different, had Arthur not overheard him and his father, Balinor, talking. It could have been so much worse than it had been, but then Arthur had needed Merlin’s Dragonlord abilities to defend Camelot and after that - well… trust had been regained far quicker than Merlin had expected.

He yawned again, his eyes slowly closing. Thinking of the past did nothing now, not with the threat of another kingdom come to attack Camelot. Merlin eagerly awaited the day when Arthur would be high king over Britain, as many seers had foretold.

The fire crackled merrily in front of him. Merlin’s eyelids fluttered closed and he struggled to open them. They drifted down again.

The next thing he knew, he was being picked up, quilt and all, and placed gently on the bed. He hummed and opened his eyes to see Arthur, dressed in a nightshirt and a tired smile. Merlin smiled back. “How was it?”

"Long," Arthur replied. He slipped into bed besides Merlin. "I’ll tell you in the morning."

Merlin was too tired to argue. “You’d better,” he settled for and scooted closer to his king, burying his nose in Arthur’s chest. Arthur laughed a bit and kissed him on the forehead.

"Sleep," the king commanded to his consort.

Encased in Arthur’s arms, Merlin did.


End file.
